High-risk merchant accounts for Canadian businesses

Federal law caps nicotine at 20 mg/ml, and vaping products entering the duty-paid market carry an excise stamp; ten provinces and territories, Ontario, Québec and Alberta among them, require their own stamp, Nova Scotia since 2026. Manufacturers need a CRA vaping licence. Québec bans flavours other than tobacco and any retail sale without the buyer present, and British Columbia requires notice to its Ministry of Health before a first sale.

Health Canada: vaping products regulations(opens in a new tab)Sector page

General consumer law applies. Under the Competition Act, a price that mandatory fees make unattainable is misleading, and performance claims need adequate and proper testing. In Québec, an ongoing program of teaching, training or assistance can be cancelled at any time with a penalty of no more than $50 or 10% of the unsupplied services, whichever is lower, and must be billed in at least two instalments.

Québec Consumer Protection Act, ss. 188 to 196(opens in a new tab)Sector page

General consumer law applies. Selling by phone means following the CRTC's Unsolicited Telecommunications Rules and registering with, and paying for, the National Do Not Call List; the CRTC also publishes guidance on spotting tech support scams. In Québec, a merchant may not take payment on a distance contract before providing the service, unless the payment is one the consumer can charge back.

CRTC: telemarketing and unwanted calls(opens in a new tab)Sector page

Multi-level marketing is legal, but any earnings claim must be fair, reasonable and timely. The Competition Bureau treats a plan as pyramid selling when it pays for recruitment, requires purchases beyond a start-up kit sold at cost, loads participants with unsellable inventory or refuses a buy-back on reasonable commercial terms, and pyramid selling is a criminal offence. Québec requires a permit for itinerant merchants.

Competition Bureau: multi-level marketing and pyramid selling(opens in a new tab)Sector page

Selling adult content to adults is lawful under general rules, and no federal age-verification law is in force. Bill S-209, which would restrict young people's online access to pornographic material, passed the Senate on April 15, 2026 and was still at second reading in the House of Commons after a debate on September 24, 2026. Bill C-34, the Safe Social Media Act, is also at second reading.

LEGISinfo: Bill S-209(opens in a new tab)Sector page

General consumer law applies. Québec's Consumer Protection Act covers ongoing services that help a person establish personal or social relationships: the consumer may cancel at any time, the penalty is capped at the lower of $50 or 10% of unsupplied services, and payment must be split into at least two instalments. British Columbia's subscription rules of August 1, 2026 apply to automatically renewing memberships of $50 or more.

Québec Consumer Protection Act, s. 189(opens in a new tab)Sector page

Timeshares are sold under general consumer law with specific contract rules. In Ontario the buyer may cancel within 10 days of receiving the written agreement, and within a year if it lacks the required content. Québec gives the same 10 days and forbids taking any payment before they expire. British Columbia's updated disclosure and contract rules for timeshares apply to contracts made from August 1, 2026.

Ontario Consumer Protection Act, 2002, s. 28(opens in a new tab)Sector page

Since April 24, 2026, Ontario forbids reselling a ticket, or facilitating its resale, above the all-in price first paid plus resale fees and taxes, with administrative penalties of up to $25,000 for repeat offenders from June 10, 2026. Québec bans resale above the official price without the producer's written consent and requires a fee breakdown. Ontario, Québec and British Columbia ban ticket bots; BC does not regulate prices.

Ontario Ticket Sales Act, 2017, s. 2(3)(opens in a new tab)Sector page

Since July 1, 2021, non-resident vendors of digital products and services register for GST/HST under a simplified regime, those selling goods from Canadian fulfilment warehouses register under the normal regime, and platforms collect the tax on sales they facilitate. Imports are accounted for in the CBSA's CARM system since October 21, 2024, and courier parcels from the US or Mexico pay duty only above $150.

CRA: GST/HST for digital economy businesses(opens in a new tab)Sector page

Québec now requires an online subscription to be cancellable through an accessible, easy-to-find button, and a written reminder 2 to 10 days before a free or discounted period ends, giving the end date and the new price. British Columbia's rules for contracts made from August 1, 2026 make automatic renewal terms void unless cancellation and notice requirements are met. Ontario's Consumer Protection Act, 2023 is not yet in force.

Québec Consumer Protection Act, s. 187.28(opens in a new tab)Sector page

Exported vehicles must be reported to the CBSA under section 95 of the Customs Act: in August 2025 the CBSA served an Ontario business owner a $36.9 million penalty, the full value of over 2,300 used vehicles exported undeclared. A business trading in vehicles needs registration with OMVIC in Ontario or a licence from AMVIC in Alberta, and Québec requires a permit for road vehicle merchants.

CBSA: penalty for undeclared vehicle exports, December 2025(opens in a new tab)Sector page

The Criminal Code lets only a province conduct and manage online gaming. In Ontario, private operators register with the AGCO and sign an operating agreement with iGaming Ontario: 49 operators ran 84 sites on September 1, 2026, for players aged 19 and over. Alberta opened its market on July 13, 2026 through AGLC registration and an AiGC agreement. Elsewhere, Québec included, only the provincial corporation's site is legal.

Criminal Code, s. 207(opens in a new tab)Sector page

The Criminal Code defines a game as one of chance or of mixed chance and skill, and only a province may run one online for paid prizes. Ontario's AGCO standards class pay-to-play fantasy sports as sport betting, so paid contests for Ontario players run through registered iGaming operators. A pure skill contest falls outside that definition, but paid entries on sports results can still be betting under section 202.

AGCO: Registrar's Standards for Internet Gaming, definitions(opens in a new tab)Sector page

Selling a chance to win goods through a game of chance, or of mixed chance and skill, is a Criminal Code offence unless a province conducts the scheme. A social casino whose coins never convert into prizes stays outside it. Promotional contests must disclose the number and approximate value of prizes under the Competition Act, and since October 2023 Québec no longer requires contests to be declared to the RACJ.

Criminal Code, s. 206(opens in a new tab)Sector page

Retail forex and CFDs are offered in Canada by firms registered as investment dealers and members of CIRO, whose rules set leverage and margin, and only investment dealers may extend margin to clients. In Québec the dealer also needs AMF qualification under the Derivatives Act. Binary options with a term under 30 days may not be sold to individuals.

Ontario Securities Commission: decision of October 2, 2026(opens in a new tab)Sector page

Dealing in virtual currency is a money services business: registration with FINTRAC comes before the first client, foreign businesses serving Canadians included. Crypto trading platforms must also register with securities regulators, platforms outside Canada serving Canadians included. The Stablecoin Act received Royal Assent in March 2026, and its draft regulations, published on October 24, 2026, aim to take effect in fall 2027.

FINTRAC: money services businesses(opens in a new tab)Sector page

Ontario forbids a credit repairer from taking any payment until it has materially improved the consumer's credit report, and debt settlement firms must register as collection agencies and take no advance fees except as prescribed. Québec requires a permit for debt settlement and allows no payment for credit report services before the report improves. British Columbia and Alberta license debt repayment agents, and British Columbia bars up-front fees.

Ontario Consumer Protection Act, 2002, s. 50(opens in a new tab)Sector page

Under the Cannabis Act, CBD is regulated as cannabis whatever its source, hemp included, so only a provincially authorized retailer or a federally licensed medical seller may sell it. Natural health products and cosmetics may not contain added cannabinoids, and a health claim requires approval as a prescription drug. Online, Québec sells only through the SQDC, while licensed private stores in Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta may deliver online orders.

Health Canada: cannabidiol (CBD)(opens in a new tab)Sector page

Under the Natural Health Products Regulations, no natural health product may be sold until Health Canada issues a product licence, shown on the label as an eight-digit NPN or DIN-HM. Businesses that manufacture, package, label or import these products also need a site licence. Health Canada states that selling health products without its authorization is illegal, and it seizes unauthorized products from retailers.

Natural Health Products Regulations, s. 4(opens in a new tab)Sector page

Medicine is licensed province by province. A physician providing virtual care to a patient located in Ontario must hold a CPSO certificate of registration, with narrow exceptions such as specialty care unavailable in Ontario or urgent care. Virtual care carries the same obligations as in-person care, prescribing included, and prescriptions are filled by pharmacies licensed by a provincial or territorial regulator.

CPSO: virtual care policy(opens in a new tab)Sector page

Pharmacies, online ones included, are licensed by the pharmacy regulatory authority of the province or territory where they operate, and it is illegal to sell prescription drugs without a valid prescription from a practitioner licensed in Canada. Health Canada adds that a legitimate online pharmacy gives a Canadian street address and has a Canadian-licensed pharmacist available.

NAPRA: verifying a Canadian online pharmacy(opens in a new tab)Sector page

Travel sellers are licensed province by province. Every travel retailer and wholesaler selling from a location in Ontario registers with TICO, which requires a permanent place of business and a trust account in Ontario. Any agency operating in Québec needs an OPC permit, and its clients are covered by the FICAV fund. In British Columbia, anyone providing travel services to the public needs a Consumer Protection BC licence.

TICO: registration overview and requirements(opens in a new tab)Sector page

A business needs a firearms business licence to possess or sell firearms, restricted or prohibited weapons, prohibited devices or ammunition, and ammunition may go only to licence holders. Before selling a non-restricted firearm, the seller obtains a reference number confirming the buyer's licence; restricted and prohibited transfers need Chief Firearms Officer approval. Handgun acquisitions are frozen outside narrow exemptions, and assault-style models are prohibited.

RCMP: firearms licensing for businesses(opens in a new tab)Sector page

Alcohol is sold under provincial licensing: in Ontario, a third-party delivery business needs an AGCO General Delivery Licence, and since July 1, 2026 affiliates of grocery chains can hold an Affiliate Delivery Licence. On July 21, 2026, nine provinces, Québec not among them, agreed to let producers sell directly to each other's consumers; in Ontario a producer first seeks LCBO authorization. British Columbia plans its system for February 2027.

Ontario: Canada-wide direct-to-consumer alcohol agreement(opens in a new tab)Sector page

A ministerial order of August 2024 requires nicotine pouches to be sold by or under the supervision of a pharmacist, kept behind the pharmacy counter, in mint or menthol flavours only, and pouches above 4 mg of nicotine per unit are prescription drugs. British Columbia requires a Tobacco Retailer Authorization for each location, and Québec requires retailers to declare their tobacco activity and bans retail sales without the buyer present.

Health Canada: authorized nicotine pouches(opens in a new tab)Sector page